Elijah Wright

Translating 8 years of military experience into civilian job applications

Left the Army after 8 years. Had skills in leadership, logistics, high-pressure decision-making, team management, training. Couldn't figure out how to write any of that in a way that meant anything to civilian employers. My resume looked like it was written by someone still in the military. Because it was. I used Claude to help me translate every item on my resume into civilian language. Not make things up — translate what I'd actually done. I'd describe a role or a task in military terms and ask Claude to help me rewrite it in language that would be understood and valued by a corporate employer. What's the civilian equivalent? What competencies does this demonstrate? "Led a section of 8 soldiers in field operations including logistics coordination across multiple sites" became specific language about logistics coordination, team leadership, and operational planning that a civilian hiring manager could assess. I got interviews for roles I wouldn't have previously made it past the resume screen for. If you're leaving the military, the skills are there. Getting them onto paper in the right language is a real challenge. AI genuinely helps.